The construction of the harbour has undoubtedly changed the social and economic characteristics of the village, introducing a cosmopolitan and city-style urban character. It was also the basis for creating the largest fishing fleet in the country and driving the canning industry.

The construction of the shelter port was initiated in 1884, a project by Eng. Nogueira Soares, and was completed in 1895. However, it went through several phases of construction in order to optimize the space. The year 1932 is remembered, when the project for dock No. 1 was carried out, where around 1.5 million cubic meters of land were excavated, using 100,000 m3 of concrete and stone. The construction that looks like, as we pass the Mobile Bridge, a tiny dock, caused a real revolution in the urban networks of Matosinhos and Leça. The port and its avenues "knocked down" hundreds of riverside houses on both banks of the Laça. Only in 1940 would the port be opened.

The port revolution "transported" the means of communication of the new times, namely the inauguration of railway lines. However, from the 1950s onwards, the port and dock No. 1 became obsolete due to the increase in traffic, hence its expansion through the construction of the second dock. Dock No. 2 becomes the largest engineering undertaking carried out in Leixões, forcing the excavation of 2 million cubic meters of earth and rocks, allowing docking in the enclosure of large tonnage vessels and the respective maneuver.